Policemen are Involved in Crimes, Abia CP Raises Alarm

Policemen are Involved in Crimes, Abia CP Raises Alarm

The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr Ene Okon, has warned policemen in the state to desist from criminal activities, stressing that the number of officers involved in crime in Aba, the commercial hub of the state, was alarming.

The CP gave this warning during his familiarisation tour with members of the Police Community Relations Committee in Aba, on Tuesday.

He urged the officers to eschew indiscipline in its entirety and embrace the tenets of policing in the state.

Okon, who said he wanted to return policing to members of the Aba community, also urged residents to always fulfil their own obligations to the police by volunteering appropriate and timely information about suspected criminals as well as being obedient to the law.

He said, “I have a problem with policemen in Aba. The number of policemen that are involved in criminal activities in Aba is alarming.

“Every policeman in Abia wants to be posted to Aba. My question is, to do what? Does it mean police work cannot be done at Arochukwu, Ohafia, Nkporo, Isuikwuato and Uzuakoli? Why must it be Aba?

“The bottom line is bribery. For those, who have corruption tendencies and come to Aba to destroy the image of the police, I urge you to get ready because it will not work again.

“I don’t know whether you are not ashamed that you as policemen are involved in crime all because of pocket money. I will not spare you.

“Those that have worked with me know my stand on these dirty and corrupt practices. I know the Nigerian society and, especially the Igbo. If you do your work diligently, they will appreciate you.

“Not when you go and extort money from somebody unjustly, how can you expect something good in your life?”

Okon wandered how someone employed to fight crime could turn to a criminal himself, pointing out that there was a problem in the system.

“You may not be happy, but I’ve told you the truth and that is it. I’ll always tell you the truth no matter who is involved,” he added.

On the members of the community, he said, “For the members of the public, it is true you own the police and assignus to protect you and your property. So, it is your right to get that, but mind you that you have an obligation.

“You cannot separate right from obligation here. We know you have your right, but back it up with your obligations. You must obey the law, assist and support this institution you have created to serve you.

“If you fail to obey the law, this police you created will turn against you. Police are not magicians. We need your information to function adequately. We cannot be everywhere.”

Another Student Allegedly Raped, Murdered in Ibadan

A post graduate student of the University of Ibadan, Azeezat Shomuyiwa, has been reportedly raped and murdered in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

The police confirmed the murder but denied that the victim was raped.

She was attacked on Thursday at her house in Aba Ijefun, Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan.

The case is currently trending on Twitter.

Residents of the area told our correspondent that a stone used to kill Ms Shomuyiwa was found beside her bed with blood covering her body.

“The girl was raped and killed. As of this morning, police came to the place to arrest some people they suspected,” one resident said asking not to be named.

Another resident of the community, Aduwo Ayodele, told PREMIUM TIMES that “A bad incident happened in my community today. The lady was raped and Nigerian police force came to the place.”

When contacted, the Oyo Stats police spokesperson, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said the victim was murdered but there was no evidence of rape.

“Truly, the matter happened but it was not rape. She was attacked with stone on her head and left to die”, he said. “The police commiserated with the family”

Mr Fadeyi told PREMIUM TIMES that the commissioner of police was there with top officials of the security force.

“The commissioner already asked the deputy commissioner of police to take up the matter for proper investigation.”

Ms Shomuyiwa’s case happened barely 48 hours after 18-year-old Barakat Bello was gang-raped and murdered by unknown assailants in the same Ibadan.

Ms Bello was a student of Department of Science Laboratory Technology (SLT), Federal College of Animal Health and Production in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

It also occurs days after a female undergraduate of the University of Benin, Vera Omozuwa, died in a hospital after she was allegedly raped and assaulted in a church premises in Benin, the Edo State capital.

Activists have been calling on Nigeria authorities to deal more effectively with rapists through the strict enforcement of existing laws and promulgation of tougher sanctions.

On Friday, a coalition of civil society organisations and human rights activists held peaceful protests in the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos demanding a state of emergency to be declared on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.

The protest which took place at the police headquarters in both cities followed a perceived rise in the number of rape cases in Nigeria including the recent deaths of two rape victims.

A yet-to-be ascertained number of police personnel and passers-by were feared killed when suspected armed robbers invaded the Isanlu branch of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited in Kogi State on Thursday.

A source told our correspondent that the robbers, numbering about seven, came in two vehicles, broke into the bank and shot dead several persons.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, William Ayah, who confirmed the attack, said there were casualties, but the command had yet to ascertain the number.

He said the state Commissioner of Police, Ede Ayuba, had detailed his deputy, Akeem Yusuf, to liaise with the Divisional Police Officer in Isanlu to get details of the incident and report back to him within 24 hours.

It was gathered that about seven security personnel on duty at the bank and some passers-by were killed by the robbers, who were angered by their inability to gain access into the banking hall.

The gunmen were also said to have invaded the Divisional Police Headquarters, Isanlu, and killed some policemen on duty.

Another Student Raped, Murdered in Ibadan

An 18-year-old student of the Federal College of Animal and Production Technology Moore Plantation, Apata, Ibadan, has been raped and killed in Ibadan.

The teenager, Barakat Bello, who was undertaking the National Diploma programme in Science Laboratory Technology, was reportedly attacked on June 1, 2020.

The development comes days after a first-year student of the University of Benin, Uwa Omozuwa, was raped and killed in a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Edo State.

According to reports, the latest attack on 18-year-old Barakat took place at her home in Akinyele, Ibadan.

Initial reports stated that the corpse was found near the house.

The father of the deceased, Kasimu Elepo, told Sahara Reporters that he was not at home when the incident occurred.

He disclosed that the deceased’s sister was also out of the house at the time the tragic incident occurred.

According to him, the victim’s sister found Barakat’s body at the back of the house in a pool of blood when she returned from Qur’anic lessons.

He said, “I was not at home when the incident happened. The younger sister was not at home too, she went for Qur’anic lessons but when she returned home, she saw her at the back of the house with deep cuts all over her body. She had been raped and killed.

“Somebody called me on the telephone that I should come home but he refused to tell me what happened. When I got home, I saw that my daughter had been raped and stabbed to death.”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students, Zone D, has demanded justice for the victim, saying that the raping of women must stop.

The deceased, who was a member of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, was buried on Tuesday according to Islamic rites.

The murder of the teenager has sparked protests on Twitter with the #JusticeforBarakat.

UK-based medical doctor, Harvey Olufunmilayo, said the rape ‘epidemic’ must be brought to an end.

He tweeted, “Barakat Bello was alone at home when some men attacked her. She was raped and killed. This was in Ibadan yesterday. She was only 18. Barakat was at home. She is a Muslim hijabi sister. You mad people that come up with excuses for rape, what is the excuse this time?”

Another tweet by @mideglow read, “This is becoming too much!!! We are tired of burying our sisters and friends. We are tired of molestation and rape! Capital punishment should be meted to the perpetrators.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Police Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said in a telephone interview with The PUNCH that although the report is trending online, the police could not confirm it at the moment, noting that the incident had not been reported.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of the family of the deceased to report the case for an investigation to be carried out by the police.

“Effort is being intensified to confirm the credibility of the report. At present, the Divisional Police Officers, Oluyole, and Apata divisions were contacted but we found out that the address that was quoted is not correct. When I got the DPOs and I inquired, the two of them said at present, there is no such report in their record.

“It is very funny when some people are too much in a haste to post such things even if it happened truly. I am not saying it happened because our records have not shown that. But, let’s assume it happened, the family is supposed to make an official report; that is another problem.”